We Were Built To Fall Apart
by addylane55
Summary: Still dealing with the aftermath of the Black Mercy, Kara has a hard time letting Alex out of her sight when she's injured during a mission.


**This was inspired after the latest episode and the plot bunnies wouldn't go away so...it's going to be really angsty and Kara may seem a little over the top but I feel like she's going off the rails with everything that happened so that's why I wrote her the way I did. I hope you guys like it!**

"Agent down! I repeat, agent down. We need a medevac team on 12th and West NOW!"

The bullet fragments crunched audibly under Kara's boots while she whirled around and surveyed the half a dozen or so members of the strike team she had just protected from rapid gunfire. They all seemed to be in place; Jensen, Holland, Joy, Mason, and Green. Oliver was on the curb tinkering with the safety on his own gun that failed to even stop the rogue alien for even a second.

Kara brushed the hair out of her face and made her way down the block, her heart leaping in her throat when she saw someone writhing on the ground. It couldn't be Alex, right? No. She was careful. She was always safe and aware of her surroundings. There was no way her sister would be _that_ careless during a mission. However, her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Hank lingering worriedly over Alex's small body. Kara darted across and nearly knocked over a paramedic.

"Alex!" she gasped, struggling to break through the other agents to get to her wounded sister.

"Supergirl," Hank warned harshly. "Stand back."

"No!" Kara argued, her hands balling into fists at her side. "What the hell happened?"

Alex's right shoulder was gushing blood and Kara could barely stand the sight of her sister gasping for breath. She pushed through and hovered over Alex, her two hands pressing into the wound because for a second, she believed she had healing powers.

"Kara, it's okay," Alex managed to spit out through ragged breaths. "I'm fine."

Kara kept shaking her head, closing her eyes as her sister's blood seeped through the cracks of her fingers. The liquid felt warm dribbling down her hands and onto the sleeves of her suit. "What happened?"

Hank bent down and locked his arm around Kara's waist to pull her away. It wasn't going to be a pretty sight. Kara had been on edge all week since Astra's death and being unable to defeat Non. She barely slept and was going off the rails. This was the last thing she needed.

"You need to let the paramedics handle it," Hank said sternly. He kept his grip in place, waiting to see if Kara was going to move on her own.

"I'll be okay," Alex promised. "It's just, just a little wound."

"We need to get her out of here now."

Kara glanced up at the aging paramedic with salt and pepper hair with a look that said: "if anything happens, I'll come after you." She barely had the energy to fight Hank when he pulled her up to and held her firmly in place. The blood was still lingering on her hands; the pungent smell of copper and metal tickling her senses. It was too much. She wiped the blood on the sides of her suit, not caring what it was going to do.

"Ms. Danvers, calm yourself." Hank's voice was brash and bold but the warning did not deter Kara from whipping around in frustration once the ambulance pulled away rather loudly.

"What happened?" she repeated for the umpteenth time. "What happened to her?!"

Hank swore he never heard Kara's voice yell like that. She had her moments where she lost her cool but this was a brand new side to Supergirl. Kara was seconds away from going off the deep end and attacking the rest of the strike team who were supposed to be protecting her sister.

"Tell me!"

"You need to take a breath," Hank warned. "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Kara screamed, ripping her arms free when Hank went to grab her wrists to help soothe her. "What happened to my sister? How did she get shot?"

"She got caught in the crossfire," Hank explained quietly, motioning for the strike team to scatter before Kara got to them. "It was a mistake. I made the wrong call."

Kara's eyes widened. She whipped around to stare at the other agents who failed to protect her sister. "I just saved most of your asses! Are you that incompetent to realize my sister is on your side?"

God, she was starting to sound like Ms. Grant.

"Enough!" Hank's voice boomed, startling Kara. "I understand you're upset, Ms. Danvers, but it is not their fault. Alex was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is no need to blame my team."

The strike team darted into their respective armored vehicles, leaving Hank and Kara in an intense staring match.

"If anything happens to Alex I'm going after them," Kara growled, her gaze never leaving Hank's.

"Alex is going to be okay," Hank promised in a soft voice when he saw Kara's lip trembling violently. She was tearing apart at the seams and nothing was going to make it better. With Alex out of commission and most likely in surgery to remove the bullet impaled in her shoulder, it was going to be up to him to keep Kara calm and grounded. "She's a tough girl. A fighter."

Kara blinked back the tears and tugged at her hair in frustration. "This can't be happening. I can't…I can't lose her."

"You won't, Ms. Danvers. I won't let that happen."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Director Henshaw," Kara snapped just before she took off in the air, leaving Hank to his thoughts.

* * *

Kara was waiting for Hank at the DEO when he got back. She was pacing anxiously outside of the medical bay-the same medical bay where she was incapacitated exactly one week ago. It was dredging up bad memories that she could not suppress, no matter how hard she tried.

She watched Dr. Fox diligently remove the bullet lodged in Alex's shoulder, holding it up to the light to study it carefully. Kara's breath hitched in her throat when she felt Hank behind her.

"Jeez!" she gasped, holding a hand over her heart. "Don't you know not to sneak up on people like that?"

Hank smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean to scare you, Ms. Danvers."

"Yeah, well," Kara mumbled before trailing off and crossing her arms. Her fingers were still sticky with Alex's blood. She couldn't will herself to tear her gaze away from her sister just in case anything happened. "They're stitching her up now."

"See? I told you everything would be okay."

Kara merely shrugged and sighed. "I'm, I'm sorry. For…for losing my temper."

"It's understandable considering the circumstances," Hank stated, laying a gentle hand on Kara's shoulder. "I should have been keeping a better eye on her."

"You know how Alex is," Kara whispered reassuringly, reaching up to squeeze Hank's hand that was still resting on her shoulder. "Stubborn."

"Just like her little sister."

A smile crept across Kara's face. "Well, duh. Where do you think I learned it from?"

"I wonder."

"Director Henshaw?" Kara's small voice broke the silence she had created.

"Ms. Danvers?"

Kara sucked in a breath and twiddled her thumbs. "I know this is really unprofessional, like super unprofessional, and I would _never_ dream of asking Ms. Grant this but-"

"What is it?"

"I need a hug," Kara blurted out suddenly, her brave façade crumbling. "Like, really badly." She peered through the glass and felt the tears escape her eyes as Dr. Fox carefully wrapped Alex's shoulder in a large black sling. "Please."

Hank decided against arguing and wrapped Kara in a hug, a heavy sigh escaping when Kara stood on her tiptoes and held him tight. He awkwardly patted her back and tried his best to remain stoic when she sobbed lightly into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Kara."

Kara eventually pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I know."

"She's not going to leave you."

"I know," Kara sniffled. She stood up straighter when Dr. Fox came out to explain what happened. But she couldn't listen. She didn't want to hear what happened to Alex. Her sister was supposed to be invincible, dammit.

She excused herself and slipped into Alex's office, using the private bathroom to rid her hands of the dried blood. The clear water suddenly began to turn red, the porcelain sink immediately staining. Kara let out another sob and let her tears drip into the reddened water as she scrubbed her hands raw until she could no longer take the hot water beating down on her skin. By the time she was done, both hands were bright red. There was still dried blood and dirt caked under her nails but that would have to do for now.

Her suit was becoming increasingly confining. Alex's blood was still stained on her arms. It was more prevalent in the bright light of the normally dim office. Alex liked the work in the dark. It's how she got most of her reports done. Kara rifled through the small closet and quickly stripped off the uncomfortable suit and nearly kicked her boots across the room. She pulled on Alex's old ratty Stanford t-shirt that had been washed so many times, the red fabric was slowly fading to pink. It was a little tight on her since Alex was smaller than her in so many ways. Kara looked like the epitome of a lazy college student once she pulled on the gray sweatpants with the word Stanford printed down the left leg.

The clothes made her feel oddly comfortable because they smelled like Alex and reminded her of the days she would sneak into her sister's room after she went to college just to wear her clothes so she could be reminded of her sister's presence.

She did her best to look brave once she returned to the medical bay. Dr. Fox was still talking to Hank so she stayed back, throwing her hair into a messy bun that must have made her look sixteen again.

Hank motioned for her to come over once the doctor was gone, noting how youthful Kara looked in sweatpants. She was almost unrecognizable. "Alex is going to be just fine. Dr. Fox said the bullet didn't embed too deep in her shoulder."

"Good," Kara sighed in relief and stared at her sister through the glass. "How long does she have to be in the sling for?"

"A couple of weeks. The stitches should be out by next Thursday _if_ Alex takes it easy and doesn't exert herself."

Kara scoffed. "Good luck with that."

"I'm going to need you to keep an eye on her. She's going to be out of commission for quite some time and something tells me she's not going to like that."

"I'm not letting her out of my sight," Kara promised fiercely.

Hank grew worried at Kara's statement because he knew how much she meant it. She was not going to let anything happen to Alex during her recovery, which meant it was going to be yet another distraction so Kara wouldn't focus on the events that transpired the past week.

"I'm not even going to argue with you about going home."

"Nope." Kara shook her head with a slight grin. "I'm staying here."

"I figured as much," Hank said with an eye roll. He scanned his phone and frowned at the incoming text. "I have to take this but I want you to rest as well. Don't stay up all night fretting about Alex. She's going to come after _me_ if she finds out you're not taking care of yourself."

"I will," Kara lied meekly, holding her hands up in defense.

It took her a few minutes to allow herself to step foot in the medical bay. The automatic doors swung open and nearly swallowed her whole when she didn't step forward in time. Alex looked so peaceful and in a strange way, that made Kara feel better. At least she knew her sister was finally getting the rest she deserved.

She dragged the lone plastic chair in the room over to the side of Alex's bed and plopped down, frowning at how uncomfortable it was. She reached for Alex's free hand and held it tightly, her thumb grazing over her sister's knuckles. Alex looked so relaxed, save for the awkward black sling that immobilized her arm across her chest. There was no way her sister was going to be happy. Her dominant hand was not going to be useful for weeks. Alex was going to need someone to take care of her and help her out. Kara couldn't let her down. She was going to be there no matter what.

Plus, she needed the distraction. She needed something to take her mind off her aunt's death and the trauma of being ripped away from her parents again. The guilt was starting to tear away at her because Kara realized Alex must have felt so…down for not being included in her "perfect world." Was this karma getting her? Alex had done so much and given up so much to take care of her. Now, it was Kara's turn to repay the favor whether Alex liked it or not.

Kara leaned forward and let the side of her head rest on Alex's arm. It was getting late and the lack of sleep was catching up. She recalled overhearing Dr. Fox telling Hank that Alex should be asleep for the next few hours or so. It was the perfect amount of sleep. She closed her eyes and listened for Alex's heartbeat to double check her sister was okay. It was beating softly, calmly. The blood was swimming through Alex's veins like normal and it reassured Kara everything was fine.

She was passed out peacefully within ten minutes, the incessant beeping of the heart monitor oddly lulling her to sleep.

When Alex awoke several hours later, she felt extreme pressure and pain on her left arm. She gently tugged her arm free from Kara's head when she realized her sister had passed out on her IV. The little dribbles of blood from the needle bubbled over and Alex quickly wiped it away by rubbing her arm against the ratty blanket draped over her.

Kara stirred and shot up in the uncomfortable chair.

"Sorry," Alex apologized once she took in her sister's bedraggled appearance. "You were sleeping on my IV."

"I'm sorry!" Kara blurted out in exhaustion. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and bit back a yawn because she didn't want Alex to feel bad for waking her. "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay," Alex whispered reassuringly. She frowned at the stiffness in her shoulder and eased herself up into a sitting position. "Don't worry."

Kara was still frantically rubbing her eyes to jolt herself awake. "How are you?"

"I've been better," Alex admitted with a laugh. She reached for Kara's hand when she saw the tears in her sister's eyes. "I'm fine, Kara. I promise. Nothing I can't handle with the help of some painkillers."

"I was so scared," Kara breathed out shakily. She kept Alex's hand in a death grip and refused to let it go. "I thought…I kept thinking what I was going to do if I lost you."

Normally, Alex would chide her sister for being so dramatic but she saw the fear and trauma on Kara's face. It broke her heart. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You could have!" Kara was adamant about letting this go. She stood up and freed her hand from Alex's. "How could you…how could you be so careless?"

"I wasn't thinking," Alex said with a sigh, closing her eyes to compose herself. Blowing up at Kara was the last thing both sisters needed. "I made a mistake. I went too soon and I wasn't…thinking."

"Damn right you weren't thinking, Alex."

"Kara, enough," Alex pleaded. She had never seen her sister so angry. "Let's just…let's just talk about this tomorrow, okay? Come lay with me."

Kara shook her head and began pacing. "No! No. Because if this was me, if I was the one laying in bed, you'd be yelling at me for three hours straight."

"No."

"Yes!" Kara screamed in frustration. She saw Alex wince and knew there was no going back on her lecture. "You know you would! So why can't I tell you how stupid you were for getting yourself shot? Why can't I tell you how much you scared me because I thought there was a chance of losing you? You're all I have left, Alex. You can't…you can't go out and get hurt! Especially since I was saving your idiot co-workers and not you. I should have been there."

Alex hated being confined to the bed. All she could do was watch her sister pace aimlessly around the room, muttering under her breath and pulling at the loose strands of hair that fell from her bun. Kara looked so little…so fragile and broken while she hugged herself tightly to calm down.

"You can't protect me from my own stupidity."

Kara bit her lip to stop it from quivering so much. "You can't afford to be stupid anymore, Alex. I _need_ you. You can't go anywhere, okay? Promise me you won't go anywhere?"

She was breaking.

"Come here," Alex whispered tearfully, patting the side of the bed. It was all she could afford to do without hurting her shoulder. "Please. Come here."

Kara was reluctant but took small steps over to the bed anyway. She perched herself on the edge of the bed and looked away when Alex took her hand.

"I promise you I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me just yet."

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," Kara promised with as much conviction in her voice as possible. Alex laughed, but she was serious. With Non on the loose planning vengeance for Astra's death, there was no telling what could happen to Alex. Or Hank. Or anyone. "You need to rest."

"Uh, so do you," Alex countered in her infamous big sister tone.

"You need it more."

"Kara, I'm not playing this game," Alex bit out in annoyance. "You look like you've been reincarnated as a rag. Lay down. Now."

"Alex, no." Kara kept shaking her head back and forth like a petulant child. "When I know you're safe, then I'll go to sleep."

Alex closed her eyes again and kept them shut for a solid three minutes. "Kara, I am safe. We're both safe. What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing! I just want to make sure you're resting comfortably before I go to sleep."

"We're safe," Alex repeated in assurance. She tilted her head toward the doors so Kara could see the two agents standing watch. "No one is getting in here."

Instead of feeling relieved, Kara shot up to her feet. "Do you need anything? Water? Something to eat? I can go get us pot stickers!"

Alex knew Kara well enough to know sleep evasion was the number one sign her sister was unraveling. But she didn't have the energy to argue. Kara was teetering on the edge of a breakdown and Alex rather it happen when she had two functioning arms so she could support her sister more.

"I could go for some ice cream," Alex said faintly. At least that made Kara brighten. Her sister wanted to feel wanted.

"I have some in my fridge!" Kara practically squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I can run home and get it. I'll be back in five minutes, okay? Will you be okay for five minutes?"

Alex took some time to decipher Kara's sentence. She was talking so fast it was making her head spin. "I'll be fine. Take your time."

Kara leaned down and kissed Alex's forehead, squeezing her hand for a few seconds to let her know she was there. While Alex appreciated the gesture, she also appreciated the alone time more because something told her it wasn't going to last long.


End file.
